


Comms

by CKBookish



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Robin (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Wayne is Batman, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne needs to hug his children, Dick Grayson is Batman, Gen, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, No editing we die like mne, No names on Comms, Police Officer Dick Grayson, They all need hugs, Tim Drake Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 15:55:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21164234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CKBookish/pseuds/CKBookish
Summary: There were somethings that Bruce did that the League would say was part of Batman’s adherence to professionalism, to rules and order. One such thing was his absolute adherence to communicating over comms with code.OrThe evolution of Batman teaching Robin how to talk over the radio.





	Comms

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, this has been floating around in my head and just had to come out. This is based off a headcannon that I got while writing Atlas Shrugged, so here it is, make of it what you will. Also I have had no beta, which was probably not smart on my part but enjoy.

There were somethings that Bruce did that the League would say was part of Batman’s adherence to professionalism, to rules and order. One such thing was his absolute adherence to communicating over comms with code. But the league had forgotten the first two years where Batman had not used over radio codes to communicate. Perhaps it was the number of years that had passed or the fact that the founding members of the league were few in number anymore, but the fact remained that Batman had not cared when he first started how comms were run. Alfred was perhaps the only one who really _ truly _noticed the change, but the butler would never say. 

It had all started with two blue eyes wide with excitement. Dick Grayson, had no idea the impact a simple question would have on Batman’s appearance. 

* * *

“Wow! So if I say something you can hear me through this?” Dick had finally been allowed to monitor patrols from the Batcomputer, when Bruce first showed him how to use the comms. 

“That’s the idea, yes.” Bruce pushed a fingernail into his palm to keep from laughing. “Alfred uses it sometimes if its a difficult or busy night.”

“Can I learn the codes, so I can help from here too?” Dick climbed to stand on the desk and put his hands on Bruce’s shoulders. 

“Ummm…”

“I know I will have to learn them all before I can go into the field anyway. But this way I can help from the cave until I am ready.” Dick was staring him down with such earnest interest, that Bruce didn’t have the heart to tell him he didn’t use codes at all. “I promise I will learn them super fast!”

“Sure, Umm. I will add it to your training tomorrow.” _ After I learn codes myself… _

“Yes!” Dick jumped forward wrapping his arms around Bruce’s neck. That night Bruce developed comms communications protocol that was a mixture of police, and military short range communications codes and some of his own invention. 

The first night Dick sat at the comms he pinned the sheet Bruce had written him up on the computer’s tower. 

“Batman, there is a report of a 10-10 two blocks south of your location.”

Bruce bit his lip, he was Batman he would not smile, right now. “Acknowledged, Robin.”

“Ummm Copy that.”

“Standby.” Batman, spoke more that night then he had the whole two years he had been active. The night had been for lack of a better word … fun. Bruce would never admit to it of course. This was a serious mission. But somehow a small boy made him for the first time ever fight to hold back a laugh while in the cowl. 

Over the course of Dick’s tenure as the Boy Wonder, his interest in speaking in what he called Batcode faded, and the boy slowly used a mixture of the code Bruce had made just for him, and regular conversation. 

“Batman, I am going to check out a disturbance in East Park.”

“Negative, stay on route.”

“Umm no I am way closer then you or the police.”

“Standby for rendezvous.”

“B, your twenty minuets out, it will be over before you get here old man.” 

The line had gone silent for two minutes while Bruce ran hard to meet up with Dick. “B,10-23,” Dick chirped into Bruce’s ear. 

“Standby Robin.” Bruce was out of breath, Dick was much faster than Bruce and some days it just was so inconvenient for his guardian. 

“Negative. We have a confirmed 10-33. B I am going in.” Bruce hated not being there for taking down an armed individual. 

“Robin, negative wait for backup.”

Dick had of course done no such thing and had also been completely fine. That didn’t stop Bruce from panicking and possibly overreacting once they had gotten back to the cave. There were times that Bruce recognized his fear for what it was, love. But the man instead of expressing it in away that Dick understood held to what had worked when the boy first arrived. His fear that Dick would leave the same way his parents had made it impossible for him to allow Dick to have the freedom that _ he _viewed as trust. 

As the boy grew the more he chafed against Bruce’s hold, and eventually abandoned the using code altogether, instead preferring to spit venom at his guardian.

Bruce however clung hard and fast the the use of code. In part because of his stubborn regard for routine, but mostly because it reminded him of the times when he and Dick didn’t fight. It reminded him of a boy so excited to help that he would learn yet another form of language to talk just to Bruce. 

It wasn’t until years later that Dick returned to using the code, albeit much more casually then he had in his youth. 

* * *

  


Jason had been a wonderful fresh start for Bruce. The boy had felt like his chance to rectify the mistakes he had made with Dick. Although Jason had uncovered a new set of challenges that Bruce could not have predicted. 

It had never been his intent to replace his first son with a second, but that is how both boys had viewed Jason’s adoption and appointment as Robin. To Dick it had looked like a declaration that Bruce had never need him. And to Jason… sweet and rough around the edges Jason, it had been a standard that he could never achieve. 

Bruce had taught him ‘Batcode’ and made the mistake of saying how Dick had loved using it when he first started out. Bruce, of course, was merely missing his eldest son, who was still not speaking to him. But Jason had heard, Dick was good at this, so you need to be just as good. That is how Jason heard most things people said. 

“Batman, 10… Um 10-12… no, 30?” 

Batman bit back a laugh as he heard his son cursing on the other end of the line. 

“Where are we meeting up at?” Jason asked after a string of numbers.

“The Narrows, by the hot-dog cart you like.”

“Oh right, Um… Copy that… or whatever.”

Bruce wished he had told Jason, how much joy the boy had brought into his life. It was not the same kind of happiness Dick gave him. Dick was like a fire and Jason was more like a patch of sunshine. Both gave him warmth and light, but in an entirely different way. Dick had lit up the night and darkness Bruce had fallen into. Jason had given him, a renewed sense of self. Jason had come to him with an understanding of the world that Dick had been graciously be protected from in his youth. And so Bruce been forced to see the world from a new perspective with Jason. 

Bruce of course had understood he was rich, before taking in either boy, but Dick had been so young that his understanding of wealth had not been fully formed. He had been loved and so felt wealth in his family despite their poverty. Jason on the other hand, had arrived bitter to the manor and craving an affection he couldn’t name. He understood poverty in away Dick and Bruce never could have. He not only cherished anything he was given, but basked in any and all affection given to him. 

Bruce regretted not giving him more.

* * *

By the time Tim had arrived Bruce had lost all sense of joy in teaching. Gotham had become his own personal warzone, and if you were to join it you would do it one hundred percent. Bruce partly wanted to make it so hard the boy would give up and quit. Unfortunately, Bruce was completely unprepared for one Timothy Drake. Like Jason, Tim had seen Robin as something to live up to, and like Jason, Tim was determined to do it. However, _ unlike _Jason it was not out of a desire to prove himself, no Tim was determined to save Bruce from himself. 

However, Bruce was far from ready to let another child into his heart, so he was cold and calculated. Tim bore it all with grace that Bruce most certainly did not deserve, and with which neither of Tim’s predecessors would have given. Every move was practiced and perfected, every case was attacked with logic and an eye for detail, that even stubborn Bruce was impressed by. Tim’s desire to be the perfect Robin bleed into all aspects of the job including the use of Batcode over comms. 

It reminded Bruce of Dick in the early years, so much so he had almost broken down during a patrol after a particularly nasty fight with his oldest son.

“Batman, I have a Bank Alarm on 16th and Ryan.”

“Hnn… Reach and report.”

“Copy that. In route ETA 2.5 minutes.”

Bruce was still reeling from a phone call he had received from Dick just before patrol. Bruce couldn’t believe it, the Police. Wasn’t it enough his son risked his life at night, did he have to make it a 24/7 job. However, Dick had never responded well to Bruce’s worry over his safety. so Bruce had instead focused the argument on the fact that Dick would have to use a gun on the job. In hindsight, he would have done better if he had been expressing concern instead of judgement at carrying _ that _weapon. 

“Batman, I am on scene, 10-999--”

Bruce stopped in his tracks and fought the violent urge to throw up. Officer down.

“--just outside the building, I am going to check for vitals, standby.”

Would he be able to hear 10-999 without picturing his son bleeding out on the street. 

“Batman, I have three confirmed gunmen, Standing by for your arrival.”

Yes, Tim wait for me to get there. And Tim, did.

He had been exactly what Bruce needed, in that time. He had been sensible and unshakable for Batman, when Bruce could be neither. Tim had been logical when all Bruce wanted to do was rage. And Tim, selfless Tim, had given Bruce exactly what he needed, a reminder of a time, before Jason had died and before Dick had hated him. Tim made himself be Robin, ready to respond to the code, ready to be whatever Batman or Bruce needed. 

* * *

Bruce did not get to teach Damian batcode. No instead that task had fallen to Dick. Dick had done his best to bring Damian into the family in every way, and that included the code. 

“Ok little D. If you are going to have my back in the field you have to be able to communicate efficiently. Now our Dad used batcode to communicate with us and the Justice League, in fact pretty much everyone in the league uses it now, so you need to learn.” Dick pulled out an old yellowing page and handed it to Damian. 

Damian had tutted and quipped about it being less efficient then plan talk over the radio, but had ultimately learned and used the code. In fact he held fast to it for a reason no other Robin had. Damian, for all his tough front really just wanted to know his dad. The code had been a small connection for him, that he clung to nonetheless. In Fact in Bruce’s absence Damian had used it impeccably. 

Not that Bruce knew that, But Dick saw. It wasn’t until Bruce had returned from the time-stream that Damian relaxed and even began to slip up at times and even then it was only when he was upset or on edge. Bruce was too busy trying to catch up from his missing year to realize his youngest son even spoke batcode. The fact hit Bruce hard several months after he had taken the cowl back up. 

“Batman, 10-20? I have run a full circuit of sector 9.”

“Circuit 12, grid 4 to 6.” Batman had responded without thought or prompting. He hadn’t taught Tim let alone Damian circuits. When Jason was Robin, he had been forced to forgo them almost all together. His heart skipped a beat, Dick. 

Dick had in taking up the roll of Batman, returned to batcode. He had taught his brother what Bruce couldn’t. While he did not agree with every decision his oldest child had made in his absence, he was incredibly proud. 

* * *

“To--Hood, would you not be a complete fool for once.” Damian tutted over the line.

Bruce wondered vaguely what Damian had decided made Jason a fool this time. Likely he had done nothing, but breath the wrong direction. 

“Robin, put down the sword.” Dick sounded tired.

“Wing just let them off each other.” Tim, was across town staking out a warehouse. Bruce was still amazed at how Tim had wormed his way into his messed up family and still decided to stay.

“Nightwing, stay out of this it is between me and Hood.” Damain’s voice came out in gasps. Dick must be physically holding him back now. 

“Yeah, Dick, let me at the brat.” Jason was most certainly laughing but his helmet was breaking up the sound into something foreign and mechanical. 

“No names on Comms.” Bruce growled over the line, but it had no real bite. It was just an old habit. One that Batman, would always hold onto, just as a reminder it was ok to have some fun even in a place as grim as Gotham. Bruce smiled in full uniform, not that he would ever admit that.


End file.
